Iraqi Kurds plan referendum

This file photo shows a man sewing an Iraqi Kurdish flag bearing a portrait of Masoud Barzani, the president of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government, in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq. (Photo by AFP)

These are the headlines we are tracking for you in this episode of On the News Line:

Kurdish independence drive

A major confrontation between Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and Baghdad seems to be in the cards. The northern region says it will hold a non-binding referendum on independence from Iraq in September despite strong objections from the central government. President of the semi-autonomous region Masoud Barzani says he has made up his mind and will not back down from his plan. Barzani has also warned that any attempt to block the vote would lead to catastrophe and the risk of a conflict.

US support of Daesh

A high ranking official with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps of Iran says the country is preparing to publish evidence that shows the US is supporting Daesh terrorists. The media advisor to IRGC chief has told Russia Today that the US is not fighting the terrorists and is instead supporting them. He also said the United States was not an influential player in international politics as it used to be. He said the fact that the US had teamed up with countries like Saudi Arabia showed that Washington was mostly after milking the Saudis rather than doing anything effective in fighting terrorism.